Xenosaga: Verboten Die Erinnerrungen
by Morisatou Keiichi
Summary: Forbidden memories seek to unravel all that everyone has worked for, and threaten the safety of the human race once again. Embrace the pain. For it is what makes us complete. Jin makes his entrance into the team.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: A sequel to Xenosaga: Der Wille Zur Macht, and I know there is one already. :C all the same, please take the time to enjoy this fic, and feel free to give me all comments. I thank thou.

I do not own Xenosaga.

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**XENOSAGA:**

**Verboten die Erinnerungen (Forbidden Memories)**

**U-TIC Main Command Centre,**

**Asteroid Pleroma**

  Commander Margulis swung his sharp blade with precise accuracy, cleaving through the air with a speed that befit one of his calibre, graduate of the Lyceum, where he was second only to that cursed Jin Uzuki. How he remembered that fateful night, several years ago, where he was given that disfiguring scar.

  It had been a duel to the finish, taking place on the drizzling rooftops of planet Second Miltia. There they had fought, alternating powerful slashes with the magic of ether elements consisting of nanorobots. How they had fought! It was a sight to behold, the slim katana against the raw power of his sword, sparks glancing from every blow, and the rain pulled along with the sheer force behind their blades.

  The fight was intense, with him being driven back against the rooftop and the other being forced to his knees by Margulis' superior strength. Jin's speed however, had been enough to assure his victory. He had been as fast as a coiled viper, striking and fading before launching an all-out assault.

  He slashed through a training robot, noting how easy it was compared to that foe he now nursed a fierce hatred of. Beaten by an unknown kid with some primitive ancient fighting style. That his own Jehovah style of fighting should be defeated by that poor excuse of a warrior was not acceptable. The boy hid his face behind the shield of a book the entire day, but who would have thought him to be such a skilled warrior?

   Margulis grit his teeth and slammed the blade into the ground, charging his ether circuits and preparing for the final blow.

  The boy had unmatched skill with his blade. He was a worth adversary, and Margulis had relished the fight at first. Soon, it had turned into a desperate pitch for survival by both sides. He was using blue ether magic while Margulis countered the frost with his all-consuming flames. A simple duel of pride soon gave way to deadly battle, where each fought with unrivalled skill and ferocity, unleashing a lifetime of training.

  "_Fotia ek Theos."_

Watching the Greek script appear in flowing lines before him, Margulis raised one fiery hand and slammed it down upon the hilt of his blade, setting the immediate area ablaze with nanorobotically generated flames. The 'fire of God' spread rapidly, consuming all the sentinel robots in its hellish fury as the wrath of the heavens were unleashed upon the earth.

  At last, their energies spent, the fire ceased to exist, and Margulis sheathed his searing sword. 

  Jin Uzuki.

  He would meet the same fate as these sentinel robots, but after more pressing matters had been dealt with.

  Shrugging back into his coat, he strode off towards the bridge, signalling two nearby soldiers to accompany him. "You, inform the bridge that I want five platoons of Janissaries ready for departure within five hours. Plan 504 is to commence. You, get my A.G.W.S. ready. I will oversee this attack personally."

  _Soon, Jin Uzuki. I shall track you down and make you meet your fate._

_**********_

**Author's…er…Historian's Note:**Janissaries were the elite fighting forces of the Ottoman Turks, and were formed by children taken from religions not similar to that of the ruling family. Now, they are the elite fighting forces of the U-TIC Organization.

*ducks banana peels and rotten watermelons*

Okay, okay, back to the fic.

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**KOS-MOS Simulator, **

**EVS Dive.**

  Ziggurat Eight crouched behind a burning oil tank, hoping that it would mask his heat signature from the android who hunted him. His magnetic resonance and EMP scanners had detected naught, and radar was showing sporadic bursts of static due to the ECM grenade tossed by the android earlier. He however, was grateful for the cyborg body that enhanced his senses and speed.

  Fine-tuning the levels of his scanner, Ziggy prepared to do a particle scan which required immense amounts of time and him standing still. Yet, this would cut through the ECM cloud and pinpoint the android's location. Engaging the sensors that would give him leverage over the enemy, he waited for the data to come streaming in.

    As he garnered ever more information, Ziggy suddenly realized that the android was indeed, in the walls behind him. 

  Before he could react, KOS-MOS exploded out of two feet thick barricades, and proceeded to attack him, landing a powerful flying kick onto his chest which sent him ten feet away into a parked car, utterly destroying it. He looked back emotionlessly and shot several laser beams at KOS-MOS, who evaded all but one which took her in the leg, causing her to fall.

  In that split second, Ziggy was beside her and unleashing his arsenal of Cyber Kicks. The flaming kicks pummelled the android, but Ziggy noted that KOS-MOS blocked each of those rapid kicks with her forearms, the metallic armour a blur of blue and silver. They were evenly matched, it seemed.

  During his slight lapse in concentration, KOS-MOS leapt forth with R-HAMMER, causing his to stop his flaming assault and raise his right arm to deflect the blows which would have smashed a normal human to pulp. While he was thus preoccupied, KOS-MOS executed a swift chop to his other side with her titanium hand.

  The normal blow had enough raw power to knock any civilian vehicle over onto its back, but Ziggy merely wavered slightly before slamming his gauntleted fist into KOS-MOS's torso. The force of the blow sent the android stumbling into a burning car, where she caved a hole into the metal exterior. Seizing this brief chance, Ziggy leapt up and suspended himself on rocket boosters while he prepared to launch a blistering counterattack.

  Literally.

  KOS-MOS would not be outdone. She leapt up as well, drawing her lethal F-SCYTHE weapon, which she used to slash at Ziggy in mid air. The fireballs glanced off its synthetic diamond blade, but Ziggy aimed a final blow right at KOS-MOS' head, just as she slammed the hilt of the scythe into him. Both fell from the air, creating identical craters in the ground below. 

  They were up rapidly, and KOS-MOS charged forward with her R-Blade slashing at speeds so fast they created a burning film on the androids' weapon. Ziggy countered by flipping out his own blade and parrying her attacks. The two fought at a blinding speed, and while each parried and slashed, their other hand pummelled repeatedly, finding no purchase on the other's armoured body. 

  With shockwaves and sonic booms arcing out from their blazing weapons, Ziggy and KOS-MOS duelled fiercely, wreaking widespread damage everywhere near them. Walls collapsed as the armoured body of Ziggy lunged backwards to evade a deadly blow, and cars turned into unrecognizable heaps of metal as KOS-MOS missed with her punches and sent them tumbling down the street.

  Suddenly, Ziggy grabbed KOS-MOS' waist and sprayed jet fuel all over her body. In the blink of an eye, he had ignited it and KOS-MOS was knocked off her feet. The cyborg would have leapt down on the android, if not for the fact that she was up faster and opened her abdominal weaponry. The X-Buster charged and spread out its devastating cerulean energies.

  The street immediately turned into a holocaust, with flames exploding from walls everywhere. Cars combusted under extreme duress and the pillars holding buildings aloft crumbled, sending their massive loads down on the android and her opponent. The X-Buster carved through most of the debris before it hit the earth, however, and Ziggy felt metal armour melt and char on his body. Seizing onto his last hope, he targeted the android in a split second with his laser sight and engaged Executioner, sending the giant blade arcing down on her.

  When the smoke had cleared, Ziggy fought his way out of the rubble and found himself alone in the area. The android had taken cover, but this was no time to set off on a search and destroy mission. Not yet, at any rate.  

  Opening a Med Kit, he applied several nanorobotic repair salves to his armour and watched with some human satisfaction as they repaired his broken form. Full recharged, he resumed scanning with one unbroken EMP scanner. The android was apparently camouflaging her Electro-Magnetic Pulses and he would never find her this way.

  Leaping up against one unbroken wall, he kicked footholds into the concrete and scaled it easily, reaching the rooftops where a slim blue figure could be seen smashing through the roof of a warehouse not too far away.

  _Target located. _

**********

  Ziggy entered the warehouse, and peered cautiously around the gloomy interior. He hid behind large crates, and occasionally ran several scans, which were still useless amidst the metal crating and roofs. Pushing a crate the size of a car aside, he peered into the darkness.

  Light soon blinded him as five remote tank units came around the corner, their guns pointed right at his cranium. Ziggy was up in the rafters within five seconds, and listened to the robots blasting away at the crates below. Aiming cautiously below, he unloaded his laser onto the hapless vehicles, and destroyed them with several well-aimed blasts.

  KOS-MOS was crafty, he could give her that. Using resources to her advantage. Yet, as many tricks as she had up her steel sleeves, he had even more. He was silent for a while, and during that while, all that could be seen of him was a shadow that locked the doors and crept along the corridors of the shadowy warehouse.

  Not too long after, as he waited in the rafters where he had began, one of his motion alarms went off, signalling that the android was trying to escape through the northeast wall. Exactly as expected.

   He crept swiftly over, and found her by the walls trying to force her way out. Without any further ado, he sprang down with his blade outstretched, and aimed for her Kevlar reinforced neck. A small smile uplifting that solemn face, he prepared to vanquish his foe.

  Only to find that she was a holoprojection.

  The real KOS-MOS came out from behind silently and grabbed his neck, her R-Blade inches away from his death. Ziggy tried to struggle, but found himself locked within her embrace.

  "I concede. You have won this match."

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**Elsa, EVS Room**

  The EVS units opened, releasing Ziggy and KOS-MOs from their holo tanks. Shion was waiting, Allen beside her. 

  "Congratulations, Ziggy and KOS-MOS. That was one of the most interesting battles yet! The damage accumulated was far greater than any yet recorded so far, and you two have displayed an extreme amount of agility and power. Erm…Ziggy, we'll look into getting you guys a better sensor net. Two more banks of anti-ECM systems ought to do it."

  Ziggy nodded, secretly pleased with the outcome of the battle. His performance levels had increased by 2.456345 percent since the last one, which he had won. However, KOS-MOS had improved her skills by almost ten percent. He would definitely have to work harder.

  Shion bustled around as usual, having taken over the task of maintaining both Ziggy and KOS-MOS. Ziggy had to admit it was far more efficient to have a fully qualified professional scientist handling his repairs rather than his trial and error, which had cost him one of his weapons earlier. The new YZ-Ultra Autocannon was due to be completed within several days, and it incorporated the same matter transportation systems that KOS-MOS used to transport the massive guns that she used.

  Ziggy cast a glance at a nearby screen, waiting patiently as Allen tightened several bolts on the cyborg's titanium exoskeleton, and noticed the autocannon displayed on the holoscreen. It was a monster, approximately 20 feet long, and weighed perhaps a tonne. He would need both hands to use it, but the damage ratio was well worth it. A total of 700 uranium depleted shells would be fired every time he used the autocannon, providing enough raw power to perhaps cave a hole in the Durandal's outer armour.

  Upon finishing her task, Shion stood back and allowed the two to stand up.

  "Okay, you should be performing at peak capability now."

    Ziggy stood up. He himself had found this battle to be an interesting exchange of combat tactics.

  "Perhaps we could arrange training sessions similar to this in future. It is an excellent way to enhance both of our combat capabilities."

  chaos walked in just in time to hear that last comment and smiled teasingly. "Ah, are you not enjoying the female's company more than the training, dear friend?"

  "I hardly think that she is considered a female, but her company is indeed illuminating. Who would have thought that her databanks could have been of such depth and knowledge?"

  Shion smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment, Ziggy."

  "It was meant to be one. The programming of her knowledge was indeed very thorough."

  Suddenly remembering his purpose of visiting them, chaos promptly reminded them that Jr. was waiting at a diner in the Foundation for them to head down for dinner. He had already met up with MOMO and both of them were in the newer city sectors.

  Shion gasped and hurried off to get changed. Allen followed her with a UMN mobile phone, saying something frantically about upgrading a certain module. Shion as usual, was not listening.

  Another twinkle of mirth within his eyes, chaos stood up and walked away, presumably to tell them something he forgot again. It was happening more and more frequently, these memory lapses of his.

  At last, only Ziggy and KOS-MOS stood within the room. The female android merely stood beside her maintenance bed and gazed around with her large emotionless eyes. Ziggy gestured towards the door, "KOS-MOS, do you wish to exit first? It is human custom to allow females to enter or leave first."

  The android looked at him for several seconds before shaking her head. "It is alright. I merely-wish to inquire about certain things."

   Ziggy gestured for the android to exit again. "KOS-MOS, perhaps we should head down first? I will be glad to answer any questions that you have along the way, and perhaps that would be easier for us to speak as well."

  "Affirmative."

  With that, the two nonhumans headed to the door, and strode towards the shuttle to take them down to Kukai.

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A/N: Okay, this is a rather complicated situation. I didn't like the ending of the 1st paragraph so I just rewrote it. I don't know much of the pairings yet, so don't open fire and scream for chaos and KOS-MOS. It might be, might not be. I really don't know. We'll have to see how the fic leads me around.

Alright, hope you enjoy the new chapter. I know Episode 2 I supposed to be about Jr. but I find it hard to characterize him. So long for now!


	2. Emotion

**XENOSAGA: Verboten Die Erinnerungen**

**Emotion**

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_Nakamura: Nonsense! There's no proof at all that you are a thinking, living lifeform!!!_

_Puppetmaster: And can you offer me proof of your existence? How can you, when neither modern science nor philosophy can explain what life is?_

_-Ghost in the Shell_

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  I may not appear to be human.

  Nor do I make any attempt to disprove that idea.

  KOS-MOS 'thought' as she followed her friends back to the Elsa. Based on her system self-diagnosis, it was thus impossible for her, an android, to 'think' or actually 'feel'. She was not supposed have emotions. She was not supposed to be 'alive'. Even though artificial intelligence was at an advanced state, which allowed Realians to be created, life being created by humans, but possessing a consciousness of its own, she was still a creation.

  Her logic circuits allowed her to comprehend information unable to be considered by standard life forms, even the genetically modified brain cells of Observational Realians. She was superior to humans in strength, speed, endurance, processing capability, linguistics and speech enunciation, piloting skills and the like. Everything she did was better than any human could ever pray to accomplish. 

  However, was she considered 'sentient life'? Even though she could speak, she could think and make battlefield decisions, she was not supposed to have a mind of her own. Everything she did was from orders. Furthermore, while 'organic' life was described as a carbon atom linked to another carbon atom or another one of the vital hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus or sulphur atoms that were the basis of human and Realian body structure, her body was made of triple-bonded titanium that was as resilient as a starship's hull.

  KOS-MOS reached up and touched her facial tissue. She knew that beneath the relatively soft human-like skin and polymers rested a robotic skull, with microchips and fibreoptic arrays that received information from sensors in her exoskeleton and converted it into binary information that would later be processed by the advanced microprocessors in her 'brain'.

  The others reached their residences within the Elsa, and parted ways. KOS-MOS was always fond of the time she spent alone, although technically, she was not supposed to feel a particular emotion about anything. It was during this time, in the repair unit, that she could reflect back on the event that had happened in the day and store them within her AAA class system.

  Ziggy followed her as usual, heading for his own recharge unit. As they waited for the lift to arrive, KOS-MOS heard Ziggy speak.

  "KOS-MOS, it would appear that you have something on your mind. Would you like to share any of your concerns with me?" Preposterous! Androids and weapons did not have 'things' on their 'minds'. How the cyborg could tell, she did not comprehend.

  She felt her voice response system immediately selecting a response and formulating words to reply to his question. "Negative. There is nothing as of now that-"

  Yet, oddly enough, she did not want the system to take over the conversation. KOS-MOS, in a previously unthought-of breach of protocol, overrode her synaptic response to the question, making it seem as though she had stuttered. That was unacceptable. Androids did not stutter.

  A teasing voice that sounded strikingly similar to her own spoke up in her mind. _Androids don't stutter, no doubt. Androids also don't tell themselves not to stutter, and neither do they have a 'mind', as you put it._

Banishing that 'thought' from her 'consciousness', KOS-MOS registered the fact that Ziggy was asking her the same question again, perhaps due to the fact that she had stopped mid-sentence. "KOS-MOS, are you alright?"

  Preposterous again. Androids did not 'feel' not alright. They did not 'feel' at all.

  "I-I am unsure."

  They got in the lift, and the android sneaked a peek at her comrade, while reminding herself that androids did not 'sneak' a peek. Ziggy was staring into the distance and was emotionless as always, but he seemed to have a hint of a smile on his grim face. "It is alright to confess one's innermost feelings."

  KOS-MOS stared out of the glass panes as well, silent for a while. "I am an android. I do not have feelings."

  Ziggy's smile was now more obvious, although just a mere uplifting of his lips. "Emotions will always be there. I know. Trust me."

  As they exited the lift, KOS-MOS processed all the info she had on Ziggy. Part of his brain was replaced by a powerful processor unit, the same part where he had shot himself. That region of the brain was responsible for emotions and the like, and yet, he still…KOS-MOS could not describe it; she had seen that reaction surface within Ziggy when MOMO was captured. It was something reflected by parents or friends. It was concern.

  Standing on another lift, one that would take them down to the AGWS hangar, KOS-MOS stood stiffly and asked. "Is it wrong for me to have feelings?"

  Ziggy gripped the side of the lift as it began its descent. KOS-MOS registered that he did so not to maintain balance, but as though to dispel a memory. "There is nothing wrong with emotions, or lack thereof. What we need to know, is how to express that emotion."

  They walked side by side onto another lift, past the annoying robot that sold parts to help the captain pay off his debt, and KOS-MOS felt a certain feeling. It was described as 'relief' in her vocabulary.

  That was unacceptable. Androids did not need to be 'relieved'.

  When they finally reached the recharge areas, Ziggy broke the silence. "KOS-MOS. Have you ever felt awkward around us?"

  "I do not feel anything, therefore I cannot feel 'awkward'."

  Ziggy smiled a real smile now. "Denial is the first stage of what you are going through. You shall soon accept the truth." He looked away. "Don't run away from it, like I did."

  A tear slid down his cheek, although his outer expression remained stolid as always. For the first time in her short life, KOS-MOS wanted to reach out and make him feel better. She immediately recoiled, mortified at her feelings. This was…'concern'. Androids did not express concern. They did not feel mortified.

  But, she was doing all of those. Was she an android? Was she human? Was she alive? Or was she merely another creation of humans?

  Ziggy stood with his back facing her. Yet, from his tone, she could tell that he grieved, for something, or someone.

  "If you have some time, I can inform you of what you are feeling now and how to deal with it. This is one thing we both have in common; we try to run from our emotions."

  That was true. KOS-MOS mused. She had ascertained that it was a 99.563439 probability that she was feeling emotions that humans would. Yet, she ran from it. From what she knew of Ziggy, he had been running as well, replacing his human parts with robotic ones. If he could feel emotions, so could she.

  "I do have time. My recharge and maintenance cycle only will consume two hours and five minutes, given my present conditions. My batteries will continue to function at peak capacity for another five days even if I do not recharge."

  Ziggy laughed, a metallic, cold sound that was devoid of humour. He caught himself, apparently surprised at his laughter. "Hm…I do not recall my laughter being so cold. Then again, I have not laughed much ever since I became this way."

 KOS-MOS asked. "Was there a purpose in laughter? I did not perceive anything that was particularly humorous."

  Ziggy gestured for her to take a seat by one of the couches in the room. When she declined, he replied that it would conserve her energy. Seeing the practicality, KOS-MOS sat reluctantly on a squeaky sofa that groaned under her weight. Ziggy sat himself in his chair, plugging several data and energy ports into their recharge conduits.

  And so they talked, android to cyborg. Two of kind, yet worlds apart. They talked on for hours, KOS-MOS opening up more and more as she listened to her newfound friend tell her of humans, after promising to keep tonight a secret, even to Shion, lest she think there was a malfunction with KOS-MOS. The android did not want to lose her new awareness, and she felt strange thinking so. 

  She had never learnt so much in the space of one night.

**********

**Cafeteria,**

**Elsa**

Jr. burst in happily. "Hey everyone!!!! Guess what!"

  Everyone else with the notable exception of MOMO (who was perky as usual), Ziggy (who was staring emotionlessly at Jr. as usual) and KOS-MOS (who was staring at the space in front of her, totally ignoring Jr…as usual) stared at Jr. wondering what could have made him so happy so early in the morning.

  Allen groaned into his cup of coffee. "Aww…it's too early to be obnoxious. This had better be good."

  Jr. paused to look at Allen's bloodshot eyes and tired countenance. "Man…why are ya looking so tired?"

  "Shion kept me up all night. She's asleep right now, cause I didn't wanna wake her as I got changed."

  Everyone stared at Allen, with the notable exception of Ziggy (who merely turned his head quizzically in his direction), and KOS-MOS, who stared at him emotionlessly as usual). chaos looked at him, his eyes rather large. "Ah, Allen, did we just hear what we think we heard?"

  "Yeah. She was sleeping right next to me and I didn't wanna wake her as I got up. What's wrong with letting her sleep? I mean, last night was something else, no kidding."

  By this time, every human or Realian in the room were in danger of having their jaws dislocated as they stared at Allen.

  Jr. was the first to recover, and whistled shrilly. "Yo, Allen-pal! Didn't think that you had it in you!"

  "What d'you mean? If you guys are still going on about letting Shion sleep in, I'll go get her if this is that important."

  As Jr. tried to make Allen confess to having sex with Shion just for the sake of hearing Allen say it, Ziggy led MOMO out of the room quietly, ignoring her pleas to stay behind and see what would happen. The young girl had picked up an incredibly thorough knowledge of human reproductive systems ever since she had met up with Jr. He would have to watch that kid more closely next time.

  At last, Allen caught on, thanks to Captain Matthews' not-so-subtle nudging. One might have called it verbal shoving.

  "WHAT? DON'T BE SILLY! We were just discussing methods of reprogramming KOS-MOS!! She slept next to me in a SLEEPING BAG, ALRIGHT!? Get those perverted thoughts out of your darn heads!"

  "But you got changed…"

  "I put on a clean jacket."

  There was a collective sigh as Allen revealed the truth.

  "Although, she DID accidentally place her arm around me as she was sleeping."

  That statement instantly diverted everyone's attention to Allen again, and it was a while before poor Allen was rescued by Jr. reminding them that he indeed had something to say.

  "Oh yeah! You wouldn't believe this, but-"

  Matthews suddenly leapt up of his chair and dragged Jr. off. ("Ah, please excuse us!") Everyone else promptly forgot about them, and continued with their breakfast. Hammer and Tony were playing cards in a corner, grumbling about some 'hyperparticlemegajouleenergyacceleratorsubspacetearinginstantUMNcontacttransportdevice' that the Captain had asked them to buy. A quick UMN search had blown up their mobile com due to the feedback from what seemed like a billion sites. Allen was looking into his cold porridge while chaos poked at his strangely greenish soup. To his relief, it turned out to be miso soup. Cold, undercooked and overnight miso soup no doubt, but still miso soup.

  Ziggy and MOMO returned, presumably to escape Jr and Matthews, who were arguing very voraciously outside, and sat down next to KOS-MOS, who was sitting alone. MOMO greeted the android, whom she had come to consider as a big sister, with a cheery hello. KOS-MOS replied with a standard good morning, but placed more well-meaning into it that before.

  "So, KOS-MOS, what are you gonna do today?"

  KOS-MOS gazed down at the shorter girl, who was looking expectedly at her, and then to Ziggy, who was gazing at her emotionlessly. MOMO continued. "Oh, please, are you free to play with us? chaos said he would be coming as well, and Jr. too! We're heading for the beach, and then the arcade!"

  KOS-MOS surprised herself by agreeing, and Ziggy nodded slightly. It was then that Jr. sprang over. "Hey, MOMO, guys! Wanna go have some fun?"

  Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed MOMO's hand and led her off.

  KOS-MOs looked at Ziggy, as chaos followed the young duo, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "How can a director of Kukai be so…exuberant at a time where the Federation and his own 'brother' seeks out U-TIC?"

  Ziggy gestured for her to follow them. "At times, the human spirit can thrive on joy and mirth. You will learn about that in time. For now, let us partake in their pleasures."

**********
    
    A/N: Hey, so how's it going? It shall not be a Ziggy-KOS-MOS, but their relationship will be a bit like older daughter-older brother. Remember what MOMO said about her being like an older sister in this chapter? Well, there you are. I'll get Shion to have more time with Allen soon, but until then, see ya guys!

PS: readers of my past chapters before I removed them will know the significance of Matthew's actions.


	3. The Way of the perverted Samurai

**I do not own Xenosaga and its elements. I do not own Ah! My Goddess, Oh! My Goddess, or Aa! Megami-sama, whatever you wanna call it. **

**DAMN. Wish I had something. Oh wait, I have me.**

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**The Way of the Samurai**

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_The samurai sword is said to be one of three sacred treasures of the __Japan__. The Sacred Mirror and the Comma Shaped Beads are the other two. As early as 3 B.C. the Samurai Sword was used as an offering to the Gods. It is said to possess the three critical holy elements of purity, rarity, and value. The sword would later become the symbol of the Samurai Code or the Code of the Warrior._

_-Japanese Samurai Swords, website._

_**********_

**Shuttle Arrival Dock,**

**Kukai**

  Jin Uzuki stepped off a transport shuttle, carrying a large selection of luggage, of which most notable was the large case that held many swords in its synthetic glass frames and several bags of books. His traditional samurai garb also attracted much attention and whispers as he walked to the Elsa, in which Shion had told him to meet her in. Along the way, he had the misfortune of being cornered by three street thugs. Three genetically enhanced thugs.

  One, who towered over him by at least two feet and thrice as broad as him leered down at the smaller man. "Hey, pal. You a human? We don't take nicely to you second-rate humans walking in here, you know."

  Jin calmly and politely asked him to please let him pass. "I do not have any problems with you, sir. If you would be so kind…"

  The thug lifted him high into the air by his throat as Jin struggled to breathe. "Dude, you'd better clear off now, and leave your books and blades as payment, hehe. They look as though they would sell for a pretty dime."

  At that, Jin's eyes flashed slightly. "No."

  The thug sneered. "Well, too bad, then, coz-"

  Jin slammed a foot into the thug's face, forcing him back. The swordsman landed lightly on his feet, and proceeded to draw a long katana from his sheath. While the thugs surrounded him, Jin calmly held his sword aloft, gripping the hilt tightly in the traditional kendo fashion.

  "This is Masamune no kyuumu. Its _kissaki _was made according to the legendary script of the great swordsmith Masamune from Lost Jerusalem itself. Sculpted and smelted by the best of swordsmiths on New Edo."

  The thugs laughed, and as one, leapt at Jin to strike him down.

  "This katana weighs twenty kilogrammes, and the reason for its exceptional weight is the triple-bonded titanium and diamond blade. You will be hard pressed to find a heavier or more powerful one." So saying, he melted out of the thugs' reach, reappearing behind them, his blade held in the same position. As they turned around, about to bring their superhuman strength to bear, Jin spoke again.

  "Legend goes that the great smiths Masamune and Murasame had a contest to judge whose swords were better. Murasame placed his blade in a stream, and the blade clove through all leaves that passed through it easily." 

  Jin evaded yet again, and this time leapt high to land behind them again, but his sword in reverse attack position.

  "Masamune's sword did not cleave the leaves; the leaves avoided it instead, a symbol of its holy power."

  With that, he struck. Lashing out like a coiled viper, Jin ducked below the first thug and knocked out the second with the reverse edge of his blade. He continued on to slam the blunt point into the other thug's chest and sent him flying backwards twenty feet, despite his advantage in size and weight. By now, only the first thug remained. He yelled, and instantly, Jin was surrounded again, but this time with twenty thugs.

  The samurai retained his calm, and raised the katana to a parrying stance while his other palm glowed blue. As some of the gangsters charged him, the others opening fire with all manner of guns, Jin deflected their bullets single-handedly while gathering ether energy in his other. At last, as the first wave neared him, Jin unleashed the powerful force of energy by channelling it through his blade. It took on the form of sapphire _sakura_ blossoms that seemed to flutter to the earth and explode in a tiny shower of particles.

  As Masamune of old did with his blade, the force of the power rent the group asunder, throwing them like leaves with the wind to distances even greater than the first few thugs. Jin dealt with those at the back row by means of a complicated Tokoyonokuni sutoraiiki move that dropped them easily, the excess energy scouring deep gashes into the earth and sending metal flying. The last surviving member nearly wet his pants as Jin aimed the _kissaki point at him, his hand never wavering and steadied further by his left hand on the sword point._

  "Never again will you disturb an Uzuki."

  Jin withdrew his blade and sheathed it before bidding his spectators a good afternoon and continuing on his way. However, the remaining thug instead drew a bead on Jin's back.

  Instantly, before the others could cry out a warning, if they indeed intended to, Jin reached within his robes and flung four _kozuka _throwing blades at him, piercing him at his wrists and ankles, crippling him but causing non-fatal wounds.

  "I warned you."

  With that slightly cliché ending remark, the elder Uzuki continued on his way, the crowd parting before him like the Red Sea before Moses.

**********

**Beach, **

**Kukai **

  Jr. dashed off, laughing madly as he prevented MOMO from getting the volleyball. However, he slammed right into chaos who neatly grabbed the ball and passed it to MOMO. Now, it was Jr.'s turn to dash madly after MOMO. At length, he stopped, huffing and wheezing.

  "Damn, it's hard to play when your opponents are both taller than you!"

  chaos stopped, laughing and quipped. "Why don't you grow up then? Choose to gain several years and some inches."

  "Gah…I don't really wanna do it. To tell the truth, I don't think that I can get any older. I kinda screwed up the last time I tried to change my age." Jr. shut his eyes at the horrifying memory.

  While the amiable trio were having fun in the volleyball court, Ziggy was looking at several magazines, reading through them with incredible speed. KOS-MOS was standing silently beside the volleyball court, looking at the playing kids. Jr. spotted her, and yelled. 

  "Hey, KOS-MOS! I need some help if I'm gonna even the height disadvantage!"

  Ziggy turned around and watched interestedly. KOS-MOS nodded and walked up into the playing field. chaos grinned. 

  "Ah, the lady decides to join us. I presume all is fine with you?"

  "It is for me, but not for you. My calculations indicate a 67.345 percent probability that you shall lose this round."

  Chaos blinked. KOS-MOS had apparently made a joke when she had said that all would not be fine with him. A terrible joke and horribly stiff, but nonetheless a joke. Shrugging it off, he spiked the ball and yelled at MOMO to run and intercept. 

  KOS-MOS moved blindingly fast, and before he knew it, the ball bounced off chaos' head to score a point. Jr. grinned. They continued in this exact same fashion until chaos was soon groaning while massaging his aching head.

  Ziggy chuckled silently and resumed reading his magazine, which happened to be none-too-educational, unless hentai manga (which he had stolen from Jr.) had gotten some sort of learning capability. It was then that Shion came running up, dragging a guy in a very traditional looking outfit behind her. 

  "Hey, guys! Jin's here!"

  Jr. walked over, grinning a curiously twisted grin. KOS-MOS and chaos followed behind him, and MOMO led the way, anxious to meet the brother that Shion had been telling her about. Ziggy stood up and strode over, well-aware of Jin's former reputation as the one of the best swordsmen, albeit unknown in the known universe. 

  Jin appeared slightly uncomfortable, but eased up the moment he saw the others. Reaching down, he lifted MOMO in a hug. "Hey, MOMO! Shion's been telling me about you!" MOMO squealed slightly and blushed furiously as Jin picked her up, and she shook his hand as she was put down. chaos stood next, and welcomed Jin with a warm handshake. "A pleasure, to meet the brother of Shion Uzuki!"

  "Hey, you old dog."

  Jin turned, and saw Jr. grinning at him. "Now, you wouldn't happen to have a screen name of JinUzuki_rulez would you?"

  "Er…oh! You're TheGreatBigHorny-"

  Jr. clamped a hand over Jin's mouth as he tried to continue. "Hehe, well, Jin and me here, we have a bit of web chatting history, ya see? We both like educational sites, and find their contents very interesting. (Oh hey, do you wanna see both Belldandy and Skuld get it on with Keiichi at once?)"

  Jin tore his mouth free. "WHOA! You serious? Damn, where d'you get those pics?"

  "Speciality web-site designed for-er-oops."

  Jin looked around, saw that everyone with the exception of two people, were staring at his sudden change of behaviour. Even Shion. The Jin she knew was a mild mannered bookworm, but this Jin was a-

  "Erm, as I was saying!" Jin took on a very scholarly appearance. "That was a very educational web-site. (I need to shut up more.)"

  "…"

  Shion decided to continue with the introductions, ignoring the disturbing image of Jin peering at hentai comics even worse than Jr.'s own stash that seemed to pop up in her mind. She would make it a point to check his luggage later.

  "This is Ziggurat Eight, otherwise known as Ziggy!"

  Jin surprised everyone by bowing to Ziggy. "Ah, konnichiwa, Ziggy-san. I am honoured to meet you again."

  Shion stared. "Wait, you know him?"

  Ziggy fielded that question. "Jin Uzuki is also not unknown to me. We have fought together in a mission once, and I was impressed with his fighting skills. I can guarantee you, that no one, not even me, can surpass Jin Uzuki in the skills of the blade."

  Shion raised an eyebrow. "How interesting. Jin, what exactly were you doing when I was in Vector?"

  "Uh-reading books and hent-ah, and working for various security and mercenary agencies. I met Ziggy before he departed to Pleroma, on the Ariadne Shopping Walks. We were supposed to catch a band of thieves that had been plaguing the city."

  Jr raised his eyebrows. "That seems like overkill. Two top fighters hired by two different companies to deal with some lousy thieves?"

  "They attacked us with ten AGWS units." 

  "Ah…"

  Ziggy spoke. "We were pinned into a corner, and the only thing which got us out of there alive is Jin's Raiden technique which short-circuited them long enough for us to get out. Jin, I look forward to duelling with you sometime soon."

  "Same here, Ziggy. (Sounds like a puppy's name…why did he choose that?)"

  "Did you say something, Jin?"

  "Er-no. Talk to you later, then."

  Shion raised her eyebrows and moved on to the next person. "Jin, this is KOS-MOS. She's the project that I was telling you about, remember?"

  "Oh-ah-hi there!"

  "Jin, you appear to have a nosebleed."

  Jin distractedly wiped his nose while ogling at KOS-MOS.

  Shion looked around, satisfied that Jin had met everyone. Well, except Gaignun, but they would be visiting him that night anyway. Jr seized this chance to grab the volleyball and slam it onto the other side of the court while no one was looking.

  "56…57…58…59…60…61…"

  chaos quickly spotted him and yelled at the others. "Hey, come on! Let's get in the game! Jin, wanna play?"

  "Sure. It appears you could use some help!"

  And not a moment later, the gang was back to playing volleyball, this time with Jin slightly evening out the score, despite Jr.'s cheating. Shion sighed. 

  "Boys…"

  And she too, jumped in to the game, grinning wildly. 

**********

A/N: Well, kind of stupid here, but at least I've established some facts about Jin. Y'know, I have the same first name as he does, hehe. (screams as Monolith tries to sue him for having the same name as one of their characters). Sorry for twisting him like that, but I thought the fight was a bit serious.

Okay, anyway, thanks to midnightoasis again, FF Fangirl H, Daye and Koyoko Mei! To Daye's question, yes I will develop the plotlines as well, and the humanity thing will be a theme in the process. Ew, that didn't come out well. Anyway, you get the point, right?

 Sorry for updating so slowly, but I've just entered midterm phase, and also am working on an Ah! My Goddess fic. Just stumbled upon that wonderful anime which can compete with dothack Liminality and some other of my favourite OAVs for the top spot!

Sayonara, for now, that is. 


End file.
